


R&R

by AstralKnight



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Rebuild of Evangelion | Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 08:37:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7525894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstralKnight/pseuds/AstralKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asuka slowly regained consciousness. She remembered following Mari into Sakura’s room, lying down on an unoccupied space on the floor to relax after an exhausting day and… She had most likely fallen asleep on the floor. The only problem was that she didn’t remember the floor under her head being quite this soft.</p>
            </blockquote>





	R&R

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yourcloudnine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourcloudnine/gifts).



> This is set during those mysterious 14 years before the 3rd Rebuild. I don't have an exact timeline in mind, only that Sakura is still smol here, so I'd say a few years after the 2nd Rebuild.

Asuka slowly regained consciousness. She remembered following Mari into Sakura’s room, lying down on an unoccupied space on the floor to relax after an exhausting day and… She had most likely fallen asleep on the floor. The only problem was that she didn’t remember the floor under her head being quite this soft.

She opened her eyes and registered the pillow under her head and the thing blanket covering her frame. Sakura and Mari were both likely to be this thoughtful but it had probably been a joint effort. She must have been really exhausted if she hadn’t woken up with that. She sat up with a yawn and stretched.

“Ah, Sleeping Beauty has finally come back to our humble realm,” Mari said with a catlike grin, looking up from her book. She was lounging on a futon in true Mari fashion.

Asuka sent a half-hearted glare her way. “How long have I been out?”

Mari looked at the cracked clock on the wall. “About three hours,” she answered.

Asuka groaned. She then noticed that while Mari was being her usual self, Sakura was acting very strangely. Asuka looked to her right where Sakura sat cross-legged on her bed. Little Sakura was evidently trying very hard to look impassive but couldn’t keep her grin in check, bless her soul.

Asuka sighed and brought her gaze back to Mari. “Kone-megane. You drew on my face, didn’t you.” Thoughtful jerk.

Mari immediately adopted the expression of the innocent saint. “What? Me? I would never do such a thing.”

The exaggerated performance gave her away and Mari knew it. Not that she’d get away with it even if she tried. Asuka was not easily fooled. Asuka stood up and glowered. Mari tried her best not to burst out laughing at Asuka trying to look intimidating with cat whiskers drawn on her face. She came off more as a grumpy cat than anything else. The only thing missing in the ensemble were the cat ears. She’d have to remedy that one day. Sakura, on the other hand, had abandoned all pretence and was giggling away in her corner.

“I hope you’re ready to face retaliation,” Asuka said ominously.

Mari cocked her head, too amused to take Asuka seriously. “What retaliation?”

Asuka crossed her arms smugly and declared, “I know your greatest weakness now.” In truth, Asuka had discovered it purely by accident, but she’d be damned if she didn’t use it to get Mari back for all her teasing.

That gave Mari pause. She ran through the possibilities in her mind, hoping Asuka wouldn’t cite herself. Her mental marathon was stopped short when Asuka added, “Well, one of them anyway…”

Mari jumped at the opportunity, having regained her composure. “What makes you think I have any weakness at all, princess?” Her confident, teasing grin was back in place.

Asuka shrugged. “Everyone has a few.”

Mari shrugged as well, taking her eyes off Asuka for a few seconds. “Fair enough.”

Before Mari could react, Asuka had closed the distance between them at a stunning speed, her hands closing in on Mari’s sides. Mari realized what was going on moments before it was too late. Her eyes widened in alarm before she was tickled mercilessly.

Her laughs filled the room while Sakura observed the scene with interest. Mari tried to talk in between laughs, knowing that Asuka would stop if she admitted defeat. Her competitive side could not withstand a tickling onslaught. “I give, I give!”

Asuka stopped immediately and sat on the floor, her legs crossed, looking proud of her victory. Sakura walked over to sit next to Asuka, slightly concerned for Mari.

“That was cruel, even for you, princess,” Mari finally said after she caught her breath.

Asuka rolled her eyes. “Stop being so melodramatic.” She answered to Mari’s growing grin with a poke to her sides, causing her to wiggle away. “That’s what you get for drawing on me.”

“Aw, but you look cute!” Mari exclaimed sincerely. Sakura voiced her agreement.

A light blush colored Asuka’s cheeks but she still stared hard at Mari. “Maybe I should take Sakura hostage next.”

Mari threw up her hands in surrender, feigning horror. “Exploiting two weaknesses in one day… Does your evil know no bounds?” she asked dramatically. Her only answer was a mischievous glint in Asuka’s eyes.

Sakura raised her hand before speaking, “Does me being a hostage involve big sis Asuka carrying me?”

Asuka cracked a smile. “Yeah, it does.”

Sakura threw her hands up in victory, shouting an enthusiastic “Yay!”

“First, I’m getting this off my face,” Asuka said before getting up.

“I maintain that the look of a grumpy cat suits you,” Mari intervened, nodding her head sagely.

Asuka scoffed and bumped Mari’s shoulder lightly with her foot before making her way to the washing room. As luck would have it, Ritsuko passed the hallway at this moment and asked what had happened to Asuka. She answered with a grunt, which was the equivalent of “Don’t ask.”

Ritsuko stepped in the now open doorway, looking at the occupants with a raised eyebrow. Mari raised her hand in a victory sign, while Sakura waved enthusiastically at Ritsuko. Ritsuko smiled and went back to work.

Mari closed her eyes and smiled. Asuka would probably had never done something like this a few years back and she was glad Asuka was able to relax at least around certain people. At first, she had reluctantly joined her when she visited Sakura, which was often, and went on being her general grumpy self.

But she’d found that it was impossible not to warm up to Sakura, even if you tried. Not that Asuka had tried at all, because ultimately… the three of them were intimate with the concept of loneliness. Asuka had started visiting Sakura on her own when Mari was otherwise occupied.

As pilots, they had more liberty and free time than some other crew members so they could be called in at any time and Sakura was too young to handle anything in the ship. As such, she was confined to her quarters and got some visitors from time to time. Asuka and Mari had even escorted her around the ship multiple times, which was something that she appreciated greatly.

Asuka truly cared more than she’d ever admit out loud. Only those closest to her knew that, but it was enough for all of them. Mari interrupted her train of thought and opened her eyes, feeling like Sakura had stared enough. She looked inquisitively at her.

Sakura hesitated but quietly said, “You’re thinking about Asuka, aren’t you?” Mari knew Sakura was perceptive, but even that one caught her off guard. Sakura scrambled to explain after seeing Mari’s expression, “Um, you always get this look when you’re not in her line of sight, and you have the same look now. Also, you’re, uh, smiling a lot.”

Honestly, Sakura was too good for this world, Mari thought as she ruffled her hair. “Good eye, kitten.” She leaned in and whispered, “But this stays between the two of us, okay?” She winked at Sakura.

Sakura nodded vehemently. She didn’t tell her that she’d catch Asuka looking at her like that too from time to time. Now that she thought about it, it might have been getting more and more frequent as time passed.

Asuka walked in just then, raising an eyebrow at the scene before her. “What are you guys planning behind my back again?”

Mari winked at Sakura again, and Sakura made a zipping motion on her mouth. “Tsk. Do you guys ever stop?” Asuka grumbled.

She didn’t get an answer as the alarm suddenly blared in their ears. Asuka’s gaze hardened instantly and the two pilots looked at each other. “Sorry, kid. I’ll carry you all you want once I get back,” Asuka said, ruffling Sakura’s hair before dashing away.

Mari settled for a quick hug. “Take care, kitten.”

Sakura squeezed Mari in the hug. “You too,” she said quietly.

“Don’t worry about us, we’re the best at what we do,” she grinned reassuringly.

Sakura nodded and smiled to Mari in thanks. Mari’s comm unit beeped and Mari pressed a button to open the channel. “Oi, kone-megane! Get your ass over here already!” An annoyed Asuka said through Mari’s communicator.

“Miss me already?” Mari grinned at Asuka’s aggravated scoff. “Coming~,” she said cheerfully as she casually skipped towards her destination. Asuka didn’t sound too worried by whatever triggered the alarm, so Mari might as well have some fun.

“Kone-megane. You’re not even hurrying.”

“Ohhh~, you can guess that much just through the communicator? I’m impressed.”

Asuka’s groan was the last thing Sakura could hear before the sound was too faint. Sakura smiled. They’d be fine not only because they were the best, but because they had each other’s backs.

Back in the corridor, Mari wasn’t quite through with one of her favorite hobbies. “Besides, I’m sure Germany’s ace pilot can handle the situation for a minute without li'l old me.”

“Flattery’s not gonna get you anywhere, Kone-megane. Stop stalling and get to your Eva.”

“Your wish is my command, princess~.”

Asuka grunted, ignoring the embarrassing line. “You better not miss any shots to make up for this.”

“Hmm, a challenge? I like it,” Mari said as she settled in her Eva. She booted it up and checked all systems. “What happens if I miss a shot?” she asked, curious.

“Oh, I don’t know…” Asuka’s tone gnawed at Mari. She was up to something. There was a long pause. “There might be a repeat of what happened earlier.”

Mari could almost feel Asuka’s wicked grin. _Curiosity killed the cat_ , Mari thought. “Have mercy on my poor soul, you red devil!” she replied melodramatically as she grabbed her sniper rifle. Asuka was certainly stepping it up today.

“Just making sure you’re motivated.”

Mari had to hold back a snort. Oh, she was getting _good_. “Appreciate it, partner,” she said sincerely as she sortied. Asuka didn’t reply, probably because she was thrown off. Small victories.

In the distance, Asuka was fending off the equivalent of medium sized geometrical shapes, flying in a pattern typical to a swarm of flies. Whatever they were, they would pay for so rudely interrupting her precious time with Asuka and Sakura. Her mouth curled into a feral grin as she aimed at one carefully. “Let’s get this party started,” she said as she pulled the trigger.


End file.
